


Usagi, Serenity and I

by Drebom



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, Identity Issues, Introspection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, Teenage Parents, Usagi Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2020-06-30 08:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drebom/pseuds/Drebom
Summary: Princess Serenity was the heir to an interplanetary Empire.Usagi Tsukino is a seemingly-ordinary Japanese schoolgirl.According to the rules of reincarnation, these two girls are in fact the same person. Nothing more, nothing less; two halves of one greater existence.In practice, however, things are a little more complicated...





	1. The Girl in Two Halves

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little something I came up with a while back. There's going to be a fair amount of introspection, but we will have plenty of proper character interaction in coming chapters too. The tone will vary; there will be some lighthearted moments, and some serious ones, though probably leaning more towards the latter.
> 
> Chronology wise, this is a bit nebulous to place. Let's just say that Pharaoh 90 has been defeated, but the eclipse that kicks off the Dead Moon Circus arc hasn't happened yet. The Outers are hanging around somewhere with a 5 year-old Hotaru, and Chibiusa is still living with the Tsukinos. Don't expect much adherence to the canonical timetable; The Dead Moon Circus (or any other arc, really) isn't really expected to make an appearance in this story.

School had been…strange, lately.   
  
This wasn’t to say that anything out of the ordinary going on. Quite the opposite; there were no teachers or students being affected by the plots of some magical threat, no mysterious transfer students with a connection to some intergalactic shadow war…nothing like that. Just peaceful, everyday life with her friends. She would get up, go to school, try to pay attention in class and stress over tests. Just regular, everyday life.  
  
The thing was, every now and again Usagi would find herself confused. She complained so often about tests and lessons…and then, for just a brief moment, she would wonder what the hell she was talking about. Compared to the endless march of strict tutors, public education was a godsend. And the curriculum…so many lessons were just _not there_. No etiquette lessons, no diplomatic seminars, not even any magical theory. A whole third of her usual workload was simply _gone_.  
  
In the face of so much less work, Serenity would wonder why in the name of the Moon she was complaining…and then Usagi would remember that she had never had a Royal Tutor, never spent a night trying to memorise the governing structure of the Earth Kingdom’s major territories. _‘Oh, that’s right. That isn’t me anymore,’_ she would think, and the confusion would slip away like water in a sieve, leaving behind perhaps just the faintest sense of loss.  
  
Luna hadn’t mentioned that it would happen. Usagi had never brought it up, and none of the other Senshi had either. Perhaps they struggled with after-effects of reincarnation just like she did, or perhaps they didn’t. It wasn’t really something they talked about, being too (mercifully) focused on the here and now.  
  
But that didn’t change the fact that sometimes, the girl sometimes known as Sailor Moon would feel more like Serenity than she did Usagi. Serenity was a name she had once had, and that one day she would take again. But at the same time, it was more than that. It was feelings, memories, emotions…Serenity wasn’t just a name, she was like another self. Another self that was slightly…off.  
  
It was usually little things more than anything important. Serenity had a little more patience, perhaps, or was a little more prone to thought. She still thought the same, still talked the same. But then Usagi would bite into a lemon cheesecake she had had a hundred times before and suddenly find it too tart for her taste, being so used to the Royal Chef’s liberal use of the finest sugars in her desserts. Of course, Serenity wouldn’t react in the slightest, oh no, her etiquette teacher would have her head, but it wouldn’t hit the spot the way she knew it should. She would be left sitting in the café, her friends oblivious to her sudden turmoil. Serenity would try reminding herself that she liked this cake, she really did, while almost forcing herself to eat it…and then something would click (or perhaps unstick) again and Usagi would be happily throwing it all down her throat, because she had never been taught to eat like a proper princess. Why would she have been? Her family was as common as it got.  
  
And so it went on. Sometimes, it was flashes, mere seconds of Serenity. Sometimes it was longer, minutes, hours, even days when she was both herself and not. So right, and yet such a strong sense of _other_. No-one ever noticed. Why would they? It wasn’t like anything had changed, not really…  
  
Today it was far more of a Serenity day than it was an Usagi one. It was just something that happened every now and again. Like tests, or monster attacks. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it. In addition to that, there had been a mild disturbance to the class, because it was the time of year when the school inspectors made their rounds; unusual, but just a mundane and routine sort of unusual. Nothing she need be concerned by.  
  
But even so, Serenity couldn’t help but consider the matter. Certain incidents, despite being clearly instigated by the activities of groups like the Dark Kingdom, had still left their mark. Students and teachers falling ill or acting erratically, breakdowns in general order…nothing that was anybody’s fault, but the very nature of the Senshi’s war on such elements had left the government critically short on the details of the how and whys of it all.  
  
Everybody knew by now that magic was real, that monsters were real, and that magical girls were real. In fact, it had scientists the world over tearing their hair out. But the reasons of it all, all the wars and deaths and reincarnations…that was all kept firmly under wraps. It wasn’t like the JSDF was going to be much help anyway, not in a fight that got the participants regularly thrown into walls and blasted with magic. Ordinary humans just weren’t built for that sort of punishment.  
  
As such, the Senshi had decided to limit any brave reporter’s post-battle interview to a few short sentences describing the immediate situation, with little to none of the greater context. And with that policy came the unfortunate side-effect of a worried government, only held in check by the belief that these mysterious young ladies had the situation well in hand.  
  
But that worry still had an effect on the policies and behaviour of government officials. So when the school inspectors came to Azabu-Juuban, an area where students were known to frequently be involved in magical incidents, they paid a particularly close eye. What could they learn here, not only in terms of education standards but in terms of those incidents? Were there lingering issues? Side-effects, beyond the expected? Any mysterious happenings that could point to clues about the Senshi or their enemies?  
  
The inspectors didn’t _say_ any of that, of course. But it was obvious, at least to Serenity, that it was on their minds, informing their actions. She knew how governments worked and thought, after all. Maybe the other Senshi, being former princesses of their own planets, also knew…assuming they remembered that part of their first lives well enough. She didn’t really know, of course. The political reaction to their existence was one of the things they didn’t talk about.  
  
Politics. Now there was a headache she was _not_ looking forward to dealing with again. Things had been bad enough when she just had to make nice with diplomats and ambassadors who were already part of a unified structure. This time around, she was going to have to build that structure herself somehow. The joys of time-travel. She knew where she was now, where she was going to end up, and absolutely nothing about the in-between. The nebulous gap between schoolgirl and future queen of the solar system was as daunting as it was mysterious; how long would it take? Would the takeover be peaceful, or chaotic? Only Pluto and Chibiusa knew at present, and Serenity didn’t feel like pushing the matter. Just take each day as it comes, she told herself, you’ll get there eventually. You have to.  
  
When she was Serenity, she saw much more about the workings of the world than Usagi did. Usagi would remember Serenity’s conclusions but found it hard to follow the preceding trains of thought, being a lifetime removed from the lessons that informed them. Of course, being even less interested in political workings than Serenity meant that Usagi didn’t really care about that so much, so that wasn’t too bad.  
  
“Miss Tsukino! Pay attention, please!” Serenity flinched, and apologised to the irate teacher. The class laughed, rolled their eyes—same old Usagi, they would think. Serenity, meanwhile, shaken from her introspection, glanced at the board, recognising the diagrams there as part of Ferent’s Rule—no, it was Pytha-whatsit’s Theory, Usagi thought. No-one had so much as heard of Ferent in a millennium.  
  
Usagi scribbled out a few hasty notes, resolving to go over it all with Ami later, and tried to settle back into the school rhythm. The inspector wrote something down, but seemed otherwise unconcerned with the poor attention span of some random student. And so life went on as normal.  
  
It was all little things, in the end. A little more thought there, a little less tolerance for sour things there. A hundred and one little differences that had built a wall of otherness between two halves of the same girl. A girl who already had to struggle with so much in her life without having to figure out who exactly was living it.  
  
But she had her friends, her family. All she had to do was take it one day at a time, and she would make it through it all eventually. She'd seen it happen, after all. In the end, no matter who she was, whichever side of that wall she was on, Serenity or Usagi…all she could do, all she really needed to do, was be herself.  
  
It wasn’t like there was all that much difference anyway.


	2. A Mother's Hair

Unsurprisingly to anyone who knew her, Usagi was rather proud of her hair. After all, anyone who could grow it out to that length and keep it well-maintained needed a certain amount of dedication. The realisation that it was a hairstyle she favoured in her previous lifetime too wasn’t so surprising either, especially compared to some of the other revelations that had been competing for her attention with the recovery of those memories. Serenity had, of course, had servants who helped her get ready in the mornings, including doing her hair for her. The fact that Usagi had managed to keep up the practice single-handedly was actually quite impressive in that regard.  
  
Of course, it wasn’t just her personal style. Her beloved hair buns were a _royal_ hairstyle. It was iconic, unmistakable, and echoed that of her…mother…  
  
Usagi’s mom, Ikuko Tsukino had blue hair. Serenity’s mother, Queen Serenity, had silver. And combined with the styling, it was quite easy to see the resemblance with the queen.  
  
Less so with her current mother.  
  
And then there was the colour of her own hair. The trip to the future had demonstrated that the influence of the Silver Crystal she always carried with her could (and would) change it to the same beautiful shade that gave the Silver Millennium its name. That little detail made the resemblance to Queen Serenity even more unmistakable…and by extension, made her face that much more removed from Ikuko’s. Reincarnation or not, even Usagi knew that genetics were a thing. Ikuko had given birth to her. Surely that alone gave her the right to have _some_ features be passed on?  
  
Apparently not. Though no-one had ever suggested that she looked too unlike her parents, the fact remained that her face was the same as it had been thousands of years ago. Magic, it seemed, trumped genetics.  
  
Impulsively, Usagi locked her bedroom door and drew the curtains. Luna was nowhere to be found, having gone to visit Artemis, so she had perfect privacy. Then, she went to stand in front of the mirror. Putting a hand on her broch and closing her eyes, Usagi pulled on just the slightest whisper of the crystal’s power, drawing it into her body. She made no attempt to shape or manipulate it, simply allowing the gentle warmth to settle around her like a cloak. When she opened her eyes again, her hair was pure silver.  
  
It was a little trick she had figured out soon after the trip to the future. A moment of idle curiosity over her future-self’s appearance had turned to experimentation. In retrospect, trying it out had been a bit silly—what if she had hurt herself with the Crystal’s energies, or gotten stuck like that, Luna had yelled—but it seemed that she could contain and push out the tiny sliver of magic just as easily as she could take it in.  
  
In addition to her hair being silver, the crescent moon mark was visible now too. Usagi rubbed at it, feeling nothing but regular skin. It was like she had a magical face-tattoo (which honestly made her sound like a delinquent). Of course, it seemed that everyone connected to the Royal Family of the Moon had the same mark. Including Queen Serenity. Check off another similarity to the Queen, another difference from Ikuko.  
  
Usagi scanned the face in the mirror carefully. “My eyes are the same as hers,” she said. It felt more like she was trying to convince herself than a statement of fact. “I have the same nose…Sort of.” Great. Now she couldn’t even be pretend to sound certain.  
  
Serenity tilted her head in thought. Or maybe it was a case of being unable to see the forest for the trees. Reincarnation obviously had a hand in her appearance, but it had been the same spell used for her as the others. Of the other Senshi, Serenity knew that Ami resembled her mother very closely, and the well-polished picture of the long, dark-haired woman at the Hino Shrine was similarly the spitting image of Rei. She didn’t know what the other girl’s own parents looked like, but two mother-daughter pairs like that would point to it being more than a coincidence. Plus, Shingo had also ended up blonde. That had to count for something, right? The fact that the more Usagi looked, the less of Ikuko she could see in her face was really…nothing to…worry...about…  
  
When she opened the window half an hour later for an irate Luna, Usagi studiously ignored the Lunar Cat’s questions about her puffy eyes.  
  


***

  
The next day, with the crying out of the way, Serenity decided she needed to get to the bottom of things. Shingo’s own blonde hair was a massive indication that there was more going on here than just reincarnation. As he was not reincarnated himself, her little brother had no magical reason for his appearance. Therefore, he simply had to have inherited it from _somewhere_.  
  
Her first port of call was Ami. Cornering her at the start of lunch, Serenity decided to pose her query as an innocent question. She had no desire to pull her friend into the heart of this issue if she could help it.  
  
“Hey, Ami? Have you ever noticed how me and my brother are both blondes, but my parents aren’t?”  
  
Ami blinked in confusion. “Yeah…? Why?”  
  
“Well, it’s just, how can that happen? I mean, I thought you had to get your hair colour from your parents, so…”  
  
“Oh!” Ami’s eyes lit up. “Well, that’s actually quite simple. Blonde hair is controlled by a recessive gene, you see,” she explained happily.  
  
“Uh…” Usagi smiled awkwardly. “What were those again?”  
  
“Usagi…” Ami groaned. “Did you forget already? We covered this pretty recently in science, you know.” She sighed. “Simply put, recessive genes mean that you need two of them for them to affect your hair colour, one from each parent. Your parents have black and blue hair, right? The gene for those colours are both dominant, so they only need one copy to make their hair that colour. Genes come in pairs, so the other gene in those pairs must be the blonde gene. That means you and your brother were able to inherit the two recessive genes needed to be blonde. Do you understand?”  
  
“I...think so?” said Usagi hesitantly. The miniature lecture had put her mind in a bit of a spin. “You’re saying that my parents aren’t blonde, but the genes they have meant me and Shingo could still inherit being blonde from them?”  
  
“Exactly!” Ami smiled. “I bet if you look back along your family tree, you’ll find that you have some blonde ancestors too. Probably starting with your grandparents.”  
  
“Really?” Usagi asked, her heart buoyed. Ami nodded. “I guess I’ll have to ask Mom…” she said, to herself more than Ami.  
  
“What brought this on, anyway?” asked Ami.  
  
“What? O-oh, nothing, just, you know, being curious, ahahaha.” Usagi faked a laugh. Ami eyed her dubiously.  
  
“Right…Well, shall we get going? The others will be waiting for us by now.”  
  
Usagi nodded her head quickly, glad for the opportunity to escape further scrutiny. “Sure!”  
  
  


***

  
The conversation with Ami buzzed in Usagi’s head for the rest of the day. The eagerness to return home and confirm things with Ikuko made her rather distracted in class, which in turn led to some curious looks from her friends. Usagi waved them off, and when the last bell of the day finally rang, she all but sprinted out of the room, ignoring any calls for her to wait. A short jog across town later, and she burst through the front door. She quickly homed in on her mother, who had been in the middle of washing dishes in the kitchen. Ikuko spun around, surprised.  
  
“Usagi? What’s the rush?”  
  
“Mom! Do we have any photo albums around!”  
  
“Yes, they’re on the bookshelf upstairs, but—Usagi!”  
  
Her heart hammering in her chest, Usagi ran upstairs. The photo albums were easy enough to find, a trio of thick, blocky hardbacks with things like ‘Memories’ written on the spines. Usagi ripped them off the shelf and took them back downstairs.  
  
“Usagi? What’s going on?” asked Ikuko firmly, as Usagi dumped the albums on the dinner table and began flipping through them.  
  
“I’m looking to see who I got my hair from!”  
  
“Your hair?” Ikuko frowned for a moment. “Honey, as far as I know, you didn’t copy that style from anyone in our family. I think you came up with it on your own, didn’t you?”  
  
“No, I didn’t,” said Serenity automatically. But before Ikuko could seize on that detail, she shook her head. “No, wait, that doesn’t matter right now. I don’t mean my style, mom, I mean the colour! Where’d I get being blonde from?”  
  
“Oh, you meant that? Your grandmother—my mother—was blonde.” Ikuko said, though she was clearly still mystified as to why they were talking about this. “I think your father’s grandfather was blond too, come to think of it…But why do you want to know?”  
  
“Is this her?” Usagi demanded excitedly, jabbing a finger at a photo of a blonde woman in a kimono, a blue-haired little girl beside her.  
  
“Yes, Usagi, and that’s me next to her, but—”  
  
“YES! It’s not magic!” Usagi cheered, throwing her hands up in the air.  
  
“…Magic?”  
  
Usagi cringed, her arms sagging. “I, uh…” her mind raced for a solution to her slip-up. “The girls and I were talking today about how we all had similar hair to our mothers at school today. I was the odd one out, so people started making up all sorts of reasons why. Like what if someone was dying their hair, or perhaps I had had put a spell on me,” Serenity said smoothly.  
  
Ikuko looked puzzled. “You…got upset because people suggested magic had made you blonde?”  
  
Serenity affected an awkward smile. “That particular… _comment_ …was from a bit of a bully, if I’m honest. She meant it like it was a curse. You know, ‘blondes are dumb’? I got a little upset, but then Ami said I could have inherited my hair from my grandparents, and so here we are.”  
  
Ikuko scowled. “Usagi, are you being bullied?”  
  
“What? Oh, no, nothing as serious as that. That one girl just likes to snipe at people, it’s nothing really.” Serenity shook her head, smiling reassuringly at her mother. “Anyway, grandmother was blonde? Does that mean my grandfather had blue hair like you, then?”  
  
“Um…” Ikuko looked at Serenity’s face carefully, looking for any sign of deception. Failing to do so, she relaxed and said “Yes, that’s right. We were a bit surprised when you came out blonde, but I guess it just skipped a generation.” Ikuko shrugged. “You do have my eyes though, so—Usagi? Honey, are you okay?”  
  
“H-huh?” Usagi rubbed at her suddenly-itchy eyes. Her fingers came away wet. “O-oh…it's just me being silly,” she said, feeling a smile pulling at her lips. “I’m fine, Mom, really. Everything’s okay.”


	3. Dreams of Flowers

Once, there had been a garden. A magnificent garden, the envy of the Solar System. Only Earth’s Grand Rose Garden could even hope to compare, in Serenity’s opinion.  
  
She dreamt of it, sometimes. The sweet scents of a hundred dozen blooms wafting gently through the air. The feel of smooth stems between her fingers and silken petals tickling her nose. The gardeners, their names lost in the fog of time, working as busily as bees in a hive.  
  
The ugly gouges in the earth. The trampled flowers. The blood.  
  
It was all gone now, of course. Along with everything else. She had glanced out of a window on the moon, the last time she was there. If you hadn’t known The Royal Garden of the Moon was once there, you never would have guessed. The ground was barren now. Nothing grew there anymore.  
  
She wasn’t even sure if anything _could_.  
  
One night, gazing up at the Moon from her window, Usagi glanced across to Luna, who sat quietly beside her on the windowsill. “Hey, Luna? How did they grow the flowers?”  
  
“I beg your pardon?”  
  
Usagi gestured towards the Moon. “The flowers, in the royal garden. There no air on the Moon, so…how did they do it?”  
  
Luna hummed. “I’m afraid my memories are rather hazy on that point…Though I suppose it would be a consequence of the magical field that allowed people to survive on the surface. I believe there were specific techniques used for gardening as well, but I don’t know what they were.”  
  
“Oh…Is that field still there?”  
  
“After so long, with no maintenance whatsoever? Even if we hadn’t been attacked, that would have been almost impossible. We needed a specialised dome to anchor and regulate everything, if you can recall, and I’m afraid it was all wiped away when Saturn lowered the Silence Glaive. The climate we had created simply couldn’t survive without the infrastructure.”  
  
“And so now there’s nothing.” Usagi sighed. In all honesty, it wasn’t too bad for her at the moment. She just thought it was a shame that the garden she dreamt about wasn’t there anymore. The bitter melancholy that could take hold of Serenity was only a trace of its full self, merely settling loosely at the back of her mind.  
  
“Are you alright, Usagi?” asked Luna.  
  
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine. It’s just a shame, you know? It was really pretty.” She gave Luna a smile. If it wasn’t as bright as usual, Luna didn’t comment.  
  
The two friends stared up at their old home in silence once more. After a few more minutes, they heard Ikuko calling the family to dinner. Usagi quietly withdrew from the window whilst Luna stayed behind, looking up and thinking.  
  
  


***

  
_Serenity walked down the garden path, breathing deeply and savouring the scent of the blooms that surrounded her. She soon reached a small seating area. It was square, laid out in white tiles and outfitted with hand-carved benches. In the centre was a large stone planter box, which held a beautiful silver rose bush, the stems curling around a supportive metal framework. Approaching it, she trailed a finger lightly around the edge of one of the flowers.  
  
This plant was special to her, more precious than any other than the whole garden. A crossbreed between one of the other moon-based breeds and one found in the Earth Kingdom’s own royal garden, it was a symbol of the two sovereign state’s alliance. As such, a counterpart bloom could be found in the other kingdom’s own garden.  
  
On a more personal note, the rose had been a gift to her from Prince Endymion, and so it was one that she had taken a hand in caring for personally. Sure, the gardeners did most of the work— Serenity would be the first to admit she didn’t have much of a green thumb—but under their guidance she did help to regularly prune and water the rose.  
  
Serenity leant in closer to take in the rose’s fragrance. A content smile spread across her face as she breathed in the sweet scent.  
  
“I see it’s doing well. Do I have you to thank for that, your Highness?”  
  
Startled, Serenity spun around. She gasped in delight. “Endymion!” She flew across the garden, all but falling into the prince’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re here!”  
  
Endymion laughed. “So am I, Serenity.” He leaned in for a kiss. Serenity closed her eyes and tilted her head, closing the distance as be_lls began to ring, jolting her from her sleep. She yelped, cursing. A flailing hand slapped at the clock until the alarm fell silent. She lay still for a moment, waiting for her heart to calm down, and breathed out a long, shaky breath.  
  
Serenity hadn’t thought about the Unity Rose for some time. In fact, that dream was probably one of the first clear memories of it that she had recovered. It was such a minor detail, all things considered, but one that had once meant so much to her that she couldn’t believe that she had forgotten it for so long. Now ,she could see it plainly in her mind’s eye, and even recall a few short snippets of her caring for it. It seemed that the previous night’s conversation with Luna had dredged up some new memories for her to sort through.  
  
And it was gone. She hadn’t seen it during the attack, or during her most recent visit to the moon, but she knew that it was gone. The whole garden was. Serenity groaned, rolling over and burying her head in her pillow. It was gone. She had remembered it, only to feel its absence.  
  
The familiar feeling of complete and utter loss washed over her, clawing at her heart with icy claws. Serenity choked back a sob, and forced herself to sit up. She didn’t have time for this. She had to get ready for school. Nice, safe school, where all her friends were alive, where the civilians weren’t _all lying dead in the rubble-strewn streets—_  
  
Usagi slapped herself. “Stop it!” She hissed at herself. “It’s all over now!”  
  
“...Usagi?”  
  
Slowly, Usagi looked around. Luna was staring at her with concern clear in her eyes. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I...” Usagi swallowed thickly. “I had a nightmare. About the fall.” The lie came easily to her lips. Just one more to add to the pile. It helped that it was nearly true anyway. “Just...give me a moment, okay?”  
  
“...Do you want to talk—“  
  
“No!” snapped Usagi, before she could catch herself. Luna flinched, and she sagged at the sight. “Oh—Oh, no, I’m sorry, Luna. No, I just need to get my mind off of it.” She reached out a hand in apology, and to her relief Luna pressed her head to it without hesitation.  
  
“I understand, Usagi. Take all the time you need.”  
  
“Thanks, Luna...um, could you not mention this to the others? I don’t want them to worry.”  
  
Luna gave her a cautious look. “I believe the appropriate saying here is ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, Usagi.”  
  
“And how many times has the royal family kept secrets to maintain peace and order?” Serenity argued back. “I can deal with it, Luna. It’s all just...memories...” she swallowed back another sob. Luna, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice.  
  
“If you’re sure...”  
  
“I am.”  
  
Luna sighed. “Very well. As you wish.”  
  


***

  
While Usagi ate breakfast, her earlier woes apparently dissipated, Luna surreptitiously took her leave. Taking the kind of shortcuts only a cat (or Senshi) could, over fences and rooftops, it was a relatively short journey.  
  
Her conversation with Usagi had worried her, more than she cared to show. The discussion of the royal garden had been bittersweet at the time, but in retrospect Luna couldn’t help but suspect that it was connected to this morning’s outburst. A discussion of what they had lost, and a nightmare about the fall; it wasn’t hard to see how one could have led to the other.  
  
And despite giving her word to Usagi, Luna felt uneasy enough to find the idea of leaving the issue entirely untouched unacceptable. She wouldn’t tell anyone about the nightmare; that much Usagi had been clear on, and Luna would respect that, however much she disagreed. But Usagi’s feelings about the garden were another matter, one Luna hoped could be resolved with a little help. And if that happened to comfort her charge in regards to her nightmare…well, that would just be a happy coincidence, wouldn’t it?  
  
Her target, having already left her own home, was easily found after a few minutes of searching the area. Thankfully, she was alone, meaning Luna could just jump straight into things.  
  
“Luna? What are you doing here?”  
  
Luna sighed. “It’s about Usagi. I think she’s been remembering more about what we lost when the kingdom fell. I don’t know if you recall, but there used to be a rather beautiful garden in the castle grounds. I think she’s just remembered enough about it to start properly missing it.”  
  
“A garden?”  
  
“It was very expansive, with many rare or exotic blooms, and required specialised magic to maintain. It was actually said to be nearly unparalleled in the solar system. I was hoping you might be able to help me help Usagi feel better about it.”  
  
“I see…so the garden needed magic to grow, and the magic was maintained by the infrastructure…” Ami thought for a long moment, and then smiled as an idea occurred to her. “You know, I think I might be able to do something about that.”


	4. Thoughts of Things To Come

Serenity watched as Ami answered a question from the teacher perfectly. There was nothing out of the ordinary there, of course. Then again, although Serenity didn’t know what it was, she was sure that her senshi was keeping something from her, as was Luna. The pair were sneaking off and having private conversations together from time to time, mostly on the way home from school. Presumably they thought that they were being discreet, but after a week of suspicious absences it wasn’t hard to join the dots.  
  
Serenity wasn’t worried. Or, at least, she was only slightly concerned about whatever it was that the pair felt they needed to hide. As they didn’t seem particularly worried it was probably nothing serious. Probably.  
  
…If this turned out to be some sort of mind control _again_ , Serenity swore she was going to start doing a regular healing sweep for psychological corruption and the like. She’d had more than enough of the people around her losing their free will, thank you very much.  
  
But that was just paranoia speaking. A fairly healthy paranoia, considering how many enemies of the Moon Kingdom seemed to still be around, but still just paranoia. If it was truly serious…well, now she knew she had Pluto keeping an eye on things. Time might not be quite fixed in stone, but knowing that she had someone that was near-omniscient making sure everything was more-or-less kept on track to a decent future was a massive relief.  
  
Usagi blinked. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard from any of the Outers since the final fight against Pharaoh 90. Sure, they preferred their distance, she got that, but…well, considering how long they had all been on their own already, that just didn’t seem _fair_. Sure, it seemed like they would be together from now on, little baby Hotaru included, but still. Shouldn’t all the senshi stick together? It was a new age and all that. Maybe she ought to try them on the communicators at some point…  
  
Aaand she’d lost track of the lesson. Great. And seeing as this was history, she couldn’t take advantage of her past life’s tutoring to play catch-up the way she could with maths.  
  
Soon after, the world was treated to the familiar sight of Usagi Tsukino groaning in despair and burying her head in her arms. Everyone laughed a little, even her friends rolled their eyes good-naturedly.  
  


***

  
Ami hid a small smile at the sight of Usagi expressing her educational woes. Although Usagi’s lack of understanding wasn’t exactly a good thing, after Luna’s explanation of her apparent break-down it was good to see her acting normally.  
  
The plan to rebuild the Royal Garden of the Moon, at least in part, was coming along nicely. Assuming that the infrastructure’s restoration following the defeat of Queen Metallia was comprehensive, it was likely that the basic life-support system was already present. It just needed power. In the old says, that was presumably powered by the Silver Crystal, or something similar. Maybe it was meant to tap into the Moon’s inherent magical energy itself. Either way, the unfortunate truth was that their computer systems, both her own and the set-up under the Crown Arcade, couldn’t do much with those of the Moon beyond make sure that they were actually there. That meant that, at best, power usage was at a minimum, with only the most critical systems being online.  
  
When you got down to it, there were two major obstacles in setting up a garden on the Moon: one, making sure there was enough power, and two, actually getting there. The former could be solved, if nothing else, by limiting the scope of the garden and using a judicial amount of magic-based batteries, which were supposed to be used in all sorts of emergency power set-ups and could be hopefully recharged as part of the rest of the garden care. The latter was the more critical issue; A teleport, as far as they were capable of at present, required the entire inner senshi team. That meant everybody would have to regularly make time in their schedules so that the garden could be cared for, in addition to any times when she would just want to visit the thing.  
  
That was…problematic, but far from insurmountable. The real issue came in with Luna’s desire to have this be a surprise. There was no way to get to the moon without Usagi, which meant that she would need to be in on it. Or convinced to go to the moon without knowing why, which honestly just stunk of some sort of mind-controlling villain being after something from the kingdom.  
  
Ami held back a sigh at the thought. That was a rather minor point, all things considered, and there would be plenty of time to figure things out once she had finished modelling the projected energy consumption of the garden plot. The Mercury Computer had, for whatever reason, some old designs for the sorts of batteries that there would be installed on the Moon loaded on it. That made modelling the gardening system a lot easier, although adjusting the variables to find a decent balance of battery lifetime versus effective area was still rather time-consuming.  
  
Her computer was actually compiling the latest model as she sat there, tucked away at the bottom of her bag and humming softly to itself. This model was one she had high hopes for, quite possibly being the one she and Luna would decide to actually construct if all went well.  
  
As if on cue, a small, muffled ‘bing’ sounded from within her schoolbag. Ami stiffened slightly and glanced around. Fortunately, no-one seemed to have noticed. Wait, no—Usagi had noticed something, either the noise or her reaction to it. Oops. The blonde was giving her a slightly concerned look.  
  
‘Are you ok?” mouthed the blonde surreptitiously.  
  
Ami nodded back, pointed a discrete finger at the bag. ‘Computer,’ she mouthed back briefly. Usagi frowned a little at that, obviously confused. Ami smiled back reassuringly. ‘Project,’ she elaborated. Usagi nodded, her eyes clearing in understanding, and—  
  
“I'm sorry girls, am I interrupting you two?”  
  
Ami flinched, her head whipping back to the teacher, who was giving her and Usagi an unamused look. “S-sorry, sir!” she said quickly. “It won’t happen again!”  
  
“Hmmm. See that it doesn’t, Miss Mizuno. You too, Miss Tsukino.”  
  
Ami gave the teacher an award smile and refocussed on her textbook. To her relief, it seemed like he didn’t feel like any further punishment was needed, nor did he press them about the details of their ‘conversation’. She could feel Usagi’s curious gaze hover on her for a few moments longer, but she could deal with that. Just a few more days, and everything would be ready.  
  
It was all going to be just fine.  
  


***

  
Setsuna Meiou woke from what was _probably_ just a dream about a long stint of standing guard at the Space-Time gate and gracefully tapped a hand against her alarm clock. Half a second later, the alarm began to actually ring. Irritated, Setsuna gave it a second, sharper whack with a closed fist, cutting the alarm off after just a second of noise.  
  
Grumbling to herself, she got up and stretched. Sniffing the air, she found that the tell-tale smell of pancakes was already wafting through the house. Smiling to herself, she moved to get up, only to pause at the slightly disconcerting sight of a note on her bedside table.  
  
This wasn’t the first time such a note had appeared in the night. They invariably contained a message from herself, a sort of to-do reminder for something that she didn’t know about yet. This could be as benign as taking a certain route to avoid traffic, or as confusing as buying a bouquet of roses and leaving them on a park bench at 3 am. More rarely, they were warnings about something a little more important.  
  
It was never anything _too_ important, of course; there were all sorts of rules about what she could and couldn’t get away with writing her little notes about, the butterfly effect for one. The only reason she had been able to start using the system in the first place was because of the timeline convergence effect, which was notoriously fickle; As a certain ‘mad scientist’ had once discovered, war may or may not break out depending on the results of a gacha game, but a girl’s death on a certain night could still occur in any one of a few hundred ways. At least she had the advantage of knowing what exactly she could and couldn’t change.  
  
Setsuna plucked the note off the table, scanned it quickly, and blinked. She read it again, frowning.  
  
“Shit.”  
  
The Guardian of Time committed the details to memory, tore the note up into indecipherable pieces and promptly tossed them into a specially-made miniature incinerator she had commissioned for exactly this purpose. Once the temporally-anomalous message was thoroughly destroyed, she tipped half of the remaining ash into a flowerpot, and took the remaining half to the bathroom to flush down the toilet.  
  
A bit excessive by most people's standards perhaps, but Setsuna didn’t believe in taking chances with things like this. Any indicators of future events needed to be dealt with swiftly, regardless of their location, source, or actual importance. Besides, she knew for a fact that she was perfectly capable of retrieving the note from its current state. And if Setsuna was, then others, although the chances were admittedly slim, could be capable of doing so as well. If nothing else, dispersing the ashes like this made such a task a little harder.  
  
With that task finished, Setsuna headed downstairs for breakfast. Haruka was messily feeding Hotaru some sort of jam-like substance at the table, whilst Michiru stood at the oven and tended the pancakes. Setsuna sat down at the table, giving her normal morning greetings (and sparing a slightly worried glance at the abnormally fast growth of Hotaru). It was fine, she told herself. She had enough time to prepare. She had all the time in the world, if need be.  
  
Of course, her mood didn’t go unnoticed. “Hey, Setsuna,” said Haruka, “You’re looking kind of serious there. Everything okay?”  
  
“I need to read up on how to deal with a hysterical teenager on the verge of a total breakdown.”  
  
The room’s temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. “…Why?” asked Haruka slowly.  
  
“I can’t say. You’d interfere,” said Setsuna bluntly. Silently, Michiru placed a plate of pancakes in front of her, and she stabbed at them viciously with a fork. Michiru and Haruka exchanged a worried look. Hotaru, meanwhile, let out a worried-sounding babble, the toddler clearly realising that something wasn’t quite right.  
  
“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Michiru. “Even if it’s just indirectly?”  
  
“No,” said Setsuna reflexively, stuffing a piece of pancake in her mouth. She paused. “Actually, yes,” she said, swallowing. “Michiru, could you go to the library and pick up some books on the subject for me, please? They don’t have to be especially extensive, just detailed enough to have decent advice.”  
  
Michiru nodded. “Of course I will. Where do you want me to put them?”  
  
“Just in a bag in the hall will be fine,” said Setsuna. “Thank you, Michiru.”  
  
“Hey, what about me?” asked Haruka.  
  
Setsuna gave her a look. “You, I believe, will be looking after Hotaru.”  
  
Haruka blinked, before smiling warmly and turning her attention back to Hotaru. “Papa’s being silly, isn’t she, Hotaru? Who else is around to play with you?”  
  
“Bapa!” Hotaru gurgled happily.  
  
Finishing off her breakfast, Setsuna left Michiru and Haruka to coo over the near-word while she got ready for university. She had a seminar to get to, and books to read.  
  
Once she was properly washed and dressed, Setsuna walked quickly to the front door. The porch area was the usual clutter of shoes, umbrellas and the like. Some empty cloth bags, usually used for doing the shopping, were piled up in one corner. It was an eclectic collection, comprised of freebies from various promotions and events mixed in with a few purchased at shops. As a result, no two of those bags were alike. The one on top of the pile, for example, had a wavy sea-green pattern, whilst the one below it was bright red.  
  
Sitting beside the door was a cloth bag with a wavy sea-green pattern. A quick check confirmed that unlike its chronologically-younger duplicate, this version held the books Michiru would be picking up later that day. Nodding to herself, Setsuna shouldered the bag, grabbed her purse and set off, calling a farewell over her shoulder.  
  
It was time to get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the time it took to get this out, I’ve been tied up with the start of a new year at university and a nasty cold. By the way, if you’re wondering who the ‘mad scientist’ Setsuna refers to is, it’s Okabe Rintarou of Steins;Gate. This isn't indicative of any sort of crossover, I just thought it was a fun little reference that helped to explain the limitations Setsuna is working in.


	5. How to Raise Your Magical Girl

“I’m far too young to deal with an 8 year-old daughter,” Usagi groaned, burying her head in her pillow. This time, it had been an argument over the tv. Usagi wanted to watch one of her shows, but Chibiusa had stubbornly clung to the remote.  
  
“But Doraemon is on!” she had yelled.  
  
“It’s a rerun!” Usagi had shot back.  
  
“Yeah, of a can’t-miss episode!”  
  
"You say that every time!” huffed Usagi.  
  
“Because they’re all so good! It’s not my fault you’re too stupid to understand Fujiko Fujio’s artistic genius!”  
  
“I’m not stupid, you little brat!”  
  
And so on. Eventually, the argument had ended with Ikuko intervening and settling the match by handing the remote to Shingo. Usagi, in what was definitely not a sulk, had retreated her room and begun complaining to Luna.  
  
“Your future self would not have sent her back if she was not sure this was for the best,” Luna said, perched on the bed beside her.  
  
“Future-me’s leaving her problems to past-me. That’s not how it’s meant to work, Luna!”  
  
Luna hummed. “Well, I suppose that in an ideal world, you would deal with all of your problems and responsibilities in your present time, instead of procrastinating or deferring them.”  
  
“Yeah!...Wait….”  
  
Luna sighed. “Just treat Chibiusa with kindness, and the rest will follow. Now do your homework, Usagi. I’m sure that ‘future-you’ will thank you for it.”  
  
“Awww…” Usagi groaned, but dutifully shuffled over to her desk and opened her schoolbooks. She started working slowly on the nightmarish horror known to most as maths, but her mind wouldn’t let go of her worries.  
  
The biggest problem with her current relationship with Chibiusa was probably that Usagi still wasn’t sure where they stood in relation to one-another. She was undeniably Chibiusa’s mother; one day, she would give birth to her. But at the same time, that was in the future. They treated each other more like argumentative sisters than anything else right now.  
  
On one hand, this meant that Usagi’s motherly duties seemed to be non-existant, especially considering Chibiusa was already fairly self-sufficient. That wasn’t exactly something Usagi was going to complain about. However, on the other hand, Chibiusa was _her daughter_ , time travel-altered perceptions be damned; Usagi had a responsibility to make sure this (technically) little girl grew up well. And so Usagi couldn’t help but feel that she should be doing something more, despite the fact she also wasn’t yet the woman who could _provide_ that ‘more’.  
  
Unfortunately, it wasn’t like she could ask her own mother for advice. As far as Ikuko Tsukino was aware, the pink-haired girl sharing their home was a cousin, not a granddaughter. And ‘teenage mother to a magical daughter from the future’ wasn’t exactly a common topic in magazine advice columns either. Really, aside from Luna (who was literally her advisor) and the rest of the Senshi, there wasn’t anyone she could talk to about being a magical girl’s mother…Wait a minute!  
  
Usagi’s eyes brightened. “I’ve got it!”  
  
“I should hope so, you’ve been staring at that question for five minutes.”  
  
“What? No, about Chibiusa! I can just ask Michiru!”

  
***  


Tracking down the Outer Senshi wasn’t nearly as hard as Usagi had first though it would be.  
  
On one hand, their parting last time had implied that they would keep to the shadows for a while. That the Outers would remain unseen until the next major threat came along.  
  
On the other hand, both Haruka and Michiru were famous and had dedicated fanbases, either of which could be counted on to post sightings of the duo online in real time. Because of that, Usagi was able to uncover Michiru’s favourite cafe, as well as (somewhat creepily) a schedule of what times she was most likely to turn up, within an hour of starting her online quest.  
  
“Does this make me a stalker?” she wondered, looking at the details she had printed out. “I mean...”  
  
“While some of these ‘fans’ may very well be, you are her Princess,” said Luna. “It is entirely within your right to know the locations of your senshi and to speak with them if you so wish. Really, the Outer Senshi just _leaving_ the way they did was quite the breach of conduct. Especially seeing as they left behind no reliable means of contacting them. In fact, I am quite certain that that is reasonable grounds for a formal reprimand.”  
  
Serenity laughed. “I don’t think I’ll be telling off the Outers, Luna. I mean, if _I_ could figure this out, and on my own too, they couldn’t really be trying too hard to hide or anything, right?”  
  
Luna gave an annoyed hum, the sort that implies someone can’t disagree but doesn’t want to say so out loud. Usagi giggled to herself. “Are you coming? This says Michiru will probably be at the cafe soon. If I leave now I might just catch her,” she said, waving Michiru’s fan-approved schedule in one hand. Luna shook her head.  
  
“No, I’m afraid that I have other matters to attend to at the moment. You will have to go without me.”  
  
And there it was again, this secrecy. Serenity leant down to put her face level with Luna’s, putting a knowing smile on her face. “Plotting behind my back, Luna?” she asked, watching the cat’s face carefully.  
  
Her advisor’s hackles raised at the insinuation. “I assure you it’s nothing of the sort!” Luna exclaimed. The outrage in her eyes was clearly genuine.  
  
Serenity straightened, satisfied. “I see. Just don’t tire Ami out too much, okay? I don’t know what it is you two are up to, but she won’t be happy if it cuts into her studying.”  
  
Luna flinched. “You noticed...?” she murmured, shaking her head for a moment before addressing Serenity properly. “We’re currently working on a small project. It’s meant to be a surprise, hence our attempts at secrecy.”  
  
Serenity nodded in understanding. “Well then, I’m looking forward to it!” she said.

  
***

  
True to the word of the violinist’s fans, a short train ride meant Usagi reached the Blue Lantern cafe to see Michiru Kaioh sitting at a window seat inside, sipping a cup of tea. It was a cosy little shop, with room for maybe twenty patrons at a time, and decorated in a classic, elegant style that suited Michiru perfectly. Stepping inside, Usagi made her way over to Michiru’s table, but paused as she drew closer, unsure of how to say hello.  
  
Her awkward hovering didn’t go unnoticed, however, and Michiru looked up at her in mild surprise. "Miss Tsukino? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I’m not a stalker!” Usagi yelped.  
  
Michiru raised an eyebrow. “I never said that you were.” Usagi flushed.  
  
“No, see, I just wanted to talk to you, and your fans had made this schedule, and it’s really detailed, so I was talking to Luna, and, um—”  
  
“Oh? A schedule? May I see?” asked Michiru, smoothy cutting off Usagi’s rambling. She held out a hand expectedly.  
  
“S-sure,” said Usagi, handing over the page in question. Michiru looked it over with an appraising eye.  
  
“Impressive,” she said calmly after a moment, placing it down on the table, “if a bit disturbing.”  
  
“That’s what I said!” said Usagi. “You should, uh, be...careful?” she continued, realising as she did so that the woman she was talking to was probably capable of summoning a tsunami. A Senshi wasn't exactly someone who you could threaten with a knife.  
  
“I am perfectly aware of my more...dedicated fans’ activities. I have it well in hand, I assure you.”  
  
“Right, right...” nodded Usagi. She smiled awkwardly. A silence fell, in which her impulsive brain finally remembered the fact that part of the reason the Outers had left, and why she hadn’t chased after them, was because of just how _awkward_ everything was after what they had done.  
  
They were nominally her soldiers, even more so than the Inners considering how strong the pull of their past lives seemed to be on them. The part of her that was used to being obeyed by her subordinates was extremely put out by their actions, and even plain old modern-day Usagi couldn’t help but wish they had just gotten on better with her. And if that was how _she_ felt, then the Outers probably didn’t feel too good about the whole mess either.  
  
“S-so, um, Michiru. How have you been?” asked Usagi, finally taking a seat opposite the woman. As she did so, she accidentally kicked a cloth bag sitting under the table, which had a rather nice sea-green pattern on it. Whatever was inside shifted slightly, but didn't seem to break. To her relief, Michiru didn't seem to notice.  
  
“I have been well, thank you. As have the rest of the Outer Senshi,” said Michiru, sipping her tea. “And yourself?”  
  
“Oh, you know, same as always,” said Usagi, keenly aware that Michiru didn’t have the slightest clue what ‘always’ was. “But I, um, actually wanted to talk to you about something.”  
  
Michiru’s hand stilled with her cup halfway to her mouth. “Oh? Is there a… _problem_?”  
  
Usagi took a moment to interpret that, and then waved her hands in the air in denial. “Nononono! Well, sort of, but not a, uh, _problem_ problem, just a regular…ish…problem…um…” She trailed off, sagged, and sighed. “I want some advice,” she mumbled.  
  
“Is this not something you could ask your friends about?” asked Michiru. Usagi winced at the implication of that sentence, but soldiered on regardless.  
  
“Well, you see, I’ve been kind of...worried, I guess? About my relationship with Chibiusa. You know, what with the whole ‘being my daughter’ thing, even though we don’t act like it? So I thought, seeing as you’re kind of a teen mom too—”  
  
A few tables over, a young woman choked on her drink. The pair graciously ignored her.  
  
“—you’d be able to give me some advice?”  
  
Michiru thought for a moment. “You are aware that Hotaru’s situation is rather different to your own daughter’s, yes?”  
  
“I...guess so, but it’s not like there’s anybody else who knows the whole story. You and Haruka are the only mothers I know that would really understand...”  
  
“Haruka is more of a father figure,” corrected Michiru, “and Setsuna has become a mother of sorts to Hotaru as well.”  
  
“Really? Huh,” said Usagi. That was... well, it wasn’t entirely unusual—but she’d never even heard of—they had always—people just didn’t—yes they did—  
  
She shook her head. Stupid cultural dissonance.  
  
“Miss Tsukino?”  
  
“I’m sorry, it’s just my social values contradicting each other. I’m ok. And please, call me Usagi,” said Serenity.  
  
Michiru just made a small noise of understanding, and didn’t pry further on the subject. No doubt she had had similar experiences herself. “Well, Usagi, I can understand how you would feel short of approachable individuals. But unusual circumstances aside, I’m sure your parents are more than capable of handling any child-rearing issues. Really, what’s the worst that could happen?” Michiru laughed.  
  
“She turns into an incestuous yandere. Again.”  
  
“…Surely that’s an exaggeration?”  
  
“Black Lady brainwashed Mamoru into being her boyfriend.”  
  
“Erm…” Michiru was clearly taken aback, and so Serenity gave her a quick overview of the circumstances. “I see…but then, if she was brainwashed at the time—”  
  
“Wiseman preyed on her insecurities in order to do so. And Chibiusa was acting like she had something of an Electra Complex before all that happened anyway,” said Serenity.  
  
“Ah.” Michiru fell silent.  
  
Serenity sighed. “It’s the time travel, I think. We’re too young for Chibiusa to properly see us as the parents she knows in the future.”  
  
“Do you _want_ her to see you as her mother?” asked Michiru.  
  
“I…I don’t know. It’s just this big mess of feelings… I just feel like I should be doing more motherly things for her than I am doing, because I am her mother, whether I really feel like a mother yet or not. Does that make sense?”  
  
Michiru shrugged. “More or less. I think the best thing you can do is simply to treat her with kindness. Don’t worry about feelings you may or may not have yet.”  
  
Usagi slumped in her seat. “I know, I know, Luna said the same thing, it’s just… _anybody_ can be kind to her, you know?”  
  
Michiru was quiet for a moment. “Hotaru has nightmares,” she said abruptly.  
  
Usagi looked up at her in surprise. “What?”  
  
“Hotaru has nightmares about what happened to her, though they seem vague. We comfort her when they happen. Does Small Lady have nightmares too?”  
  
Usagi frowned. “I…don’t think so. Why?”  
  
“A mother’s duty is the happiness and safety of her child. To be clear, I believe your current relationship is perfectly fine under the circumstances. However, if you want to take more action as a mother, I would suggest you talk to her, see how recent events have affected her. If it still haunts her, reassure her.”  
  
“And if it doesn’t?”  
  
Michiru shrugged. “Play with her. Spend time with her. Don't worry about any little arguments too much. So long as she’s safe and happy, I believe that you should be fine. That is generally accepted to be the goal of a good parent, after all.”  
  
“I…I’ll do that. Thanks, Michiru,” said Usagi. The pair drifted into silence again, but this time there was an air of quiet companionship that had been absent up until that point. Usagi could feel herself relaxing in the new atmosphere, and opened her mouth to broach a more casual topic.  
  
Somewhat predictably, it was in that same moment that people outside began to scream.


End file.
